Republicans choose Twin Cities for 2008 convention

PETER SLEVIN and DAN BALZ, Washington Post

Published 5:30 am, Thursday, September 28, 2006

CHICAGO - In an early signal of the likely significance of the Midwest in the next presidential election, the GOP announced Wednesday that the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul will host the 2008 Republican National Convention.

Moving away from the coasts for the first time in 16 years — and choosing the Twin Cities for the first time since 1892 — the Republicans also pre-empted the Democrats, who earlier had narrowed their own convention selection to three sites, including Minneapolis-St. Paul.

The Democrats will now choose between New York and Denver, a spokeswoman said.

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Steven Schier, a prominent Minnesota political commentator on the faculty of Carleton College, said the timing and the tactics suggest the national GOP hopes to help its Minnesota candidates this year and appeal to voters in a swath of battleground states in 2008.

"This should not be considered just a Minnesota choice," said Schier. "You've got three swing states: Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa. We're very much a battleground state. We were in '04 and we will be in '08. Same in Wisconsin, same in Iowa."

In 2004, President Bush squeaked past Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., in Iowa by 10,000 votes while Kerry finished just 11,000 votes ahead of Bush in neighboring Wisconsin. Kerry beat Bush in Minnesota by 100,000 votes out of three million cast.